When produce such as collards, asparagus, spinach, brocolli, etc. is harvested from the field, they are normally cut by hand in bunches or stalks which must be packaged and cut to predetermined lengths prior to being shipped, displayed and sold in grocery stores.
Heretofore, these bunches of produce were picked off a grading conveyor by personnnel and tied into bunches by means of inserting a rubber band over the stalk portion and then cut with a knife to a predetermined length. The manually placing of the rubber band on the produce is time-consuming and the cutting of the stalks to a predetermined length is usually done by visually judging the length of the bunch of produce. When this is done by skilled workers, normally the bunches of produce are cut to substantially the same length. However, the accuracy of the lengths of produce varies with the degree of experience and skill of the person making such cuts.
Attempts have been made to provide devices which will enable cellophane to be placed around the head portion of produce and a rubber band inserted around the stalk portion and when cellophane is used, around the cellophane to secure the bunch of produce in a package. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,974,762 wherein the head portion of the bunch of produce is inserted within a receptacle and by depressing the head portion of the produce against a movable bottom, a rubber band is released around the stalk of the bunch of produce. The problem using the head portion to depress the bottom is that the pressure required for depressing the head portion will bruise the produce.
A similar device for inserting rubber bands around articles is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,514,038.
Mechanisms for sizing bunches of produce are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 164,091; 2,179,897; 3,186,333; 3,320,989; and 3,386,371. Some of these devices are complicated and normally require additional handling of the produce between the banding and sizing operation.